Paintways 7 Simple Steps to Calculate the Amount of Paint Needed for your Painting Project

When wanting to repaint your home, there are a number of things to work out first before that brush ever touches the paint. Once you have found the perfect colour for your living room, the next step in the process is to find what the best paint to use is and how much you will need. Calculating the amount of paint you will need doesn’t have to be difficult, and Paintway’s guide will be able to easily figure out how much you need.

1. Measure up your room

The first thing to do to determine how much paint you will need for your project is to measure all of the walls you want to paint. This is done with a simple calculation to help you quickly find the average amount of paint in litres for a single coat of paint. You will need to measure the surface area of your room, discounting the ceiling and the floor. To do this you should measure all of the walls in your home from ceiling to floor and wall to walls. Add the measurements of the width of your walls multiply them by the height of the room to determine the square metre size of your room.

2. Take into account windows and doors

When measuring the surface area of your room, you may not be painting the ceiling or the windows and the doors, so you need to determine the size of these surface areas and discount them from your calculation. With your square metre number, simply subtract roughly 1.85 square metres from your calculations for your doors, and perform the square metre measurement for your windows to find their size. Simply remove this number from your initial calculation to determine the surface area of your room.

3. Buying the right amount of paint

With your calculation determining the surface area of your room, you are now ready to purchase the right amount of paint – but wait there, it all still depends on how many coats you want to give the walls, as well as the viscosity and type of paint you want to use. On average, a 4 litre bucket of paint will allow you to paint roughly 32 square metres of wall for a single coat.

4. Number of coats
Whilst many people simply paint over the previous colour until it is no longer visible, the best painting services paint has to offer often like to add a primer coat in order to blank the previous pant, as well as paint a tint layer to bring the vibrant colours to life for a more professional look and feel. You will need to calculate how many coats you will need for each room, so test out your walls with a tester pot of the paint of your choice to see how it holds and finishes before purchasing more.

5. Finalising your calculations

When you have determined how many coats of paint you want to put on your walls, and the surface area of your rooms, you will need to divide the paintable surface area of your room by the square metre capacity of a 5 litre tub of paint. If your paint comes in smaller or larger sizes, use this number to determine how many tubs or tins of paint you will require to finish the job properly. If you find that you are short by a little, order a few small tins to make up the difference, but if you find that you will need more, then go for the extra big tub to make sure you can finish with a little spillage into the equation.

6. Using a paint calculator

Using an online paint calculator can be a simple way of quickly getting the amount of paint you will need for the room to be painted. Taking rough guesses is a good way to determine roughly the cost of your painting project, but getting the precise figure is the best way of making sure that you don’t go over budget, or come up short when that special paint you bought at a discount is no longer available.

7. Paint your walls

Painting your walls accordingly will be the best part of your final calculation and will make all of the hard work worth it in the end.

If you are in any doubt about the calculations and price involved in high quality paint, or the types of paint you will need for your particular rooms finishes, don’t hesitate to call Paintway, who will be able to talk you through the process, and give you a solid estimate on the final price for the job done.

We often get asked…”How is the cost of having our House Calculated?” Here is How:

Painting is one of the quickest and easiest ways to give your home’s interior a facelift — and it is one that can produce dramatic results as well. Unfortunately, many homeowners feel overwhelmed when tasked with choosing a lasting color scheme. To avoid getting stuck with a less-than-perfect color choice, they will spend hours studying the subtleties between Smokey Topaz and Roycroft Suede paint swatches, considering the mood they want to create (whimsical? relaxing? modern edge?), and deciding whether to trust their guts or hire an interior decorator to make sure things turn out just right.

Fortunately, interior painting doesn’t have to be that difficult. Most paint stores offer samples that you can take home for a wall test. With these samples, you can paint a few colors in large swaths on your wall to see the how the paint interacts with the room’s natural light. And you can compare it against design elements like pillows or furniture to see whether it will work with your overall decor as well.

Calculating Room Painting Costs

The cost to paint an average size room (10X12) ranges from $380, not including ceilings, trim or cost of the paint. DIY, this can cost between $200-$300. When estimating the cost, Paintway will start with how much paint will be required to complete the job. To know this, we first need to know the size of the area to be covered.

The easiest way to calculate the size of the paintable area is to add together the length of the wall and multiply it by the width of the room from floor to ceiling. The resulting amount is the room’s square footage. This total is a starting point, as it is not all paintable surface. Paintway won’t paint the windows and doors, for example, and they must account for ceiling trim and baseboards as well.

The next step is to subtract the area of the doors and windows — along with the square footage of the trim and baseboards — to get an average. Then, use the same calculation (length x width) on the windows, doors, trim and baseboards, and subtract all of those numbers. The result of this equation is the square footage of the room’s walls. This is your surface area number. We will typically add a little square footage back in to this amount to account for extra paint, which may be required.

Room Painting Cost Factors Here are some other cost factors to consider when it comes to the cost of painting a room:

Size of Room to be Painted

The size of the room to be painted is the most important factor in determining the cost of professional painting. It will take a paintway longer to cover a large room than a small room, and this means higher labor costs in addition to supplies and time. When estimating the paint for such a job, keep in mind that a litre of paint covers about 400 square feet (though the label claims it will cover 450 square feet). You will be charged for the number of paint cans needed, among other factors.

Textured Walls

A textured wall will need more paint than a smooth wall. The texture adds more surface area, even though it doesn’t increase square footage. Determining the additional surface area depends on how much texture there is. Paintway will probably estimate about 300 to 350 additional square feet of paint to account for texture. Factor additional surface area into your square footage calculations when seeking professional estimates.

Speed Factor

The speed with which a paintway can complete the job will determine its final cost, but time is difficult to estimate. Some painters have more experience and cover a wall faster, but some are more methodical and take more time. Most painters should be able to cover about 100 to 120 square feet of flat surface in an hour, unless they are working on a very large wall. Wood or plaster might reduce that amount to 80 to 100 square feet. You should also consider the time required for a first coat to dry before a second coat may be applied. This will add time as well — anywhere from one to 48 hours depending on the paint.

Multiple Rooms or Whole House

If you decide to paint multiple rooms in your home, choose colors that relate to one another without being completely the same — unless uniformity is your goal, of course. Costs may vary based on differences in color, gloss and room size. However, each room will flow depending on the trim’s color — which should all be white or neutral — so they look connected.

A whole-house color scheme presents the same cost factors as painting multiple rooms individually: colors you choose, the gloss, the size of the rooms and time/labor. You can choose to use the same color throughout your entire home to save on money, or you can use a color scheme with the same gloss throughout, though this isn’t recommended for selling purposes.

Interior House Painting Cost Factors

Average Paint Prices

Generally, it will take a minimum of two litres of paint to cover a room. At the highest end, paint will cost anywhere between $30 and $60 per litre and come in three different finishes: flat, semi-gloss or high-gloss. Flat finishes are the least shiny and are best suited for areas requiring frequent cleaning. Semi-gloss finishes are a bit shiny but can also be easily cleaned. A high-gloss finish is stain-resistant and easy to clean. Traditionally, living rooms should be painted with a flat finish to allow the paint to stand out. Glossy finishes should be reserved for hallways, and a semi-gloss is best suited for trim. Invest in pre-primed paint whenever possible. This cuts down on time by combining the layering process.

Almost any paint job will require a primer, which will cost anywhere from $7 to $15 per can. Primer helps the paint to stand out against the underlayer of paint it’s covering, especially if the new paint is lighter than the old coat. You will need at least two cans of primer, if not more, to cover one wall.

Supplies Needed

Paintway will typically provide most of the supplies for a project, but sometimes they will allow you to pay for solely labor if you provide all of the materials yourself. You might decide to do a DIY paint job down the road, in which case having these supplies on-hand will save you time and money. The supplies you should invest in include:

Brushes: Trim and sash brushes for intricate painting, beaver-tail handles on larger brushes for larger surfaces.
Tape: Standard painter’s tape to protect trim and ceilings from droplets.
Drop cloth: To protect floors and furniture from drips.
Paint tray: To keep out only a portion of paint rather than drying out an entire litre.
Paint rollers: A quick way to cover a large portion of a wall in paint.
Ladder: Necessary for reaching high areas (don’t use a chair!).
Small brushes: For touch-ups.

Additional Updates

Consider having your molding, trim and baseboards checked while you have a professional painter in your home. This might be a good time to upgrade or repair any cracks, warps or other issues. Paintway usually touch up or replace these items for an affordable rate, and they may even package such fix-ups with your painting project.

Cost of Painting a Room as a DIY Project

A handy homeowner can buy paint and equipment for about $200 to $300. Don’t forget to factor in the time it will take you to do this yourself though. Depending on the size of the room and how much help you have, this could be a day project or a weekend project.

Here are the general steps to follow when painting a room on your own:

Decide on a color palette: Earth tones and neutrals will cover up marks, scratches and hand prints.
Buy supplies: You will need rollers, brushes and other supplies (see above) in addition to paint and primer.
Remove furniture: Remove all furniture from the room to protect it from drips and avoid trips and falls.
Clean the walls to be painted: Clean with a water and detergent mixture. For any stains, use trisodium phosphate.
Remove outlet covers and switch plates: Remove but don’t paint the sockets or switches. Turn off electricity in the room to avoid an accidental shock.
Outline: Put any painter’s tape over baseboards, trim and edging to avoid drips.
Paint the first coat.
Apply the second coat.
Touch up: Touch up baseboards and ceiling trim as needed. Also touch up any spots on the wall.

How to paint the exterior of your home?

Thought about doing it yourself?

Paintway are giving you a few tips to help you get started.

How to Paint a House Exterior.

Before you begin your exterior house painting project, keep these steps in mind.

Preparing to Paint.

First, remove as many items as you can (planters, mailboxes, shutters, house numbers, hoses, outdoor furniture, light fixtures, etc.). Then be sure to protect any bushes or items that can’t be removed by covering them up with drop cloths. You can also put drop cloths under the areas you plan to paint. Next, be sure to clean (an option is to power wash), repair (fill in holes or cracks with caulk), and prime all surfaces before painting your house’s exterior.

Once the primer coat has dried and all your preparations are complete, you’re ready to paint. Remember to mix your paint thoroughly before you start painting–and continue to stir it during use. Start with the Body of the House (“Fascia”)

When tackling your exterior house painting project, you can paint with either a brush, a roller or, most likely, both. Rolling can save you time, but you will need to use a brush for corners, trim, and doors.

Painting with a Brush.

To load your paintbrush, immerse the first third of the bristles into the paint and tap it lightly against the inside of the can. Try not to drag the bristles across the lip of the can, as this will remove too much paint.

When you apply paint, use long, smooth strokes with your brush. On clapboard surfaces, if paint gathers along the horizontal edge, it has been applied too heavily or not brushed out enough. Remember that for a well-spread, even coat, you should brush oil-based house paints back and forth several times.

Latex paints, however, require less brushing. Because they dry out quickly, excessive brushing can cut deep brush marks into the paint film. When you use latex paints, apply the paint generously with one or two back strokes and then leave it to dry.

.Painting with a Roller.

Applying paint with a roller works well with porous surfaces like masonry and stucco. Ideal for flat surfaces, rollers will not fit into inside corners, and will often deposit too much paint on the edges of outer corners.

To use a paint roller, dip your roller in the paint tray, rolling it back and forth to remove any excess paint. If it drips when you pick it up, it is overloaded. Use long, even strokes, and roll in different directions to coat the entire surface. Finish painting with strokes in one direction.

Painting Trim.

The trim should be the last area you paint. Begin by coating your window sash and door paneling first, and then paint the window frames, sills, and door trim.

If paint gets on the window’s putty line, it will serve to protect the puttied surface from water. To create a clean edge, scrape off any excess paint with a razor blade. If shutters can be removed, paint them separately and replace them when the rest of the job is finished. Then it’s time to admire your work!

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